Mercedes launches world's "most advanced" self-driving car

Mercedes-Benz has issued a challenge to key rivals by claiming its new E-Class sedan is the world's most advanced car.

Set to be unveiled at the 2016 Detroit motor show on Monday, the new E-Class is the closest the German brand has come to offering a completely self-driving car.

Many car companies offer cars with sophisticated driver aids that can apply brakes in an emergency or apply a mild degree of steering input to cars in danger of wandering out of their lane. The new E-Class builds on existing tech by adding the ability to steer itself around hazardous obstacles, as well as easily driving itself within its lane in many conditions ranging from stop-start traffic to high-speed motorway journeys.

The E-Class also features remote-parking and active lane changing features first debuted by BMW and Tesla. Drivers of the new car will be able to change lanes without touching the steering wheel – a simple brush of the indicator switch tells the car that it's time to change lanes, something it will then do with the aid of sophisticated sensors.

The new E-Class is the only car allowed to take part in Nevada's autonomous vehicle trials without hardware modifications. Photo: Supplied

But that technology – along with a feature that allows drivers to exit the car before the vehicle parks itself – may not be active when the car arrives locally in June.

Australian laws require drivers to remain in control of their cars at all times, a condition that has become a grey area as autonomous driving features creep into new vehicles. For that reason, BMW has dumbed down smarter elements of its latest 7-Series sedan until it fully complies with local laws.

In any case, Mercedes-Benz has adopted bold language surrounding the E-Class, openly claiming it is "the most advanced production vehicle in the world", with an "unmatched" level of autonomy.

While many marques including Audi, BMW, Volvo and Tesla are working hard to offer fully autonomous cars to customers, Mercedes-Benz chair Dieter Zetsche says his brand will lead the way.

"For Mercedes, as the inventor of the automobile, it was always clear that the next great revolution in mobility would be the self-driving car," Zetsche said.

"People have been dreaming of self-driving cars since the 1950s. We at Mercedes were the ones who once turned the vision of mobility without a horse into reality. Now it's time for us to offer the possibility of managing without a driver as well."

"This technology will give every occupant of a vehicle completely new opportunities to make use of valuable time."

Mercedes first fully autonomous car trial on public roads took place in 2013, when a self-driving S-Class replicated an important journey conducted in 1888 by Bertha Benz, the wife of automobile inventor Karl Benz.

While Mercedes has stopped short of advertising the new E-Class as a fully autonomous vehicle, the company says driving has become an optional, rather than mandatory element of four-wheeled transport.

"The driver only needs to steer – assuming they wish to do so - on a temporary basis," the brand says. "The traffic lane and speed are regulated, while the vehicle reacts to speed limits and to the traffic around it."